


A TASTE OF HEAVEN

by Miss_AJR



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: A Nightingale Sings in Berkeley Square (Good Omens), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Attempted Sexual Assault, Episode: s01e03 Hard Times, F/M, Female Aziraphale (Good Omens), First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Kissing, Making Out in the Bentley (Good Omens), Male Crowley (Good Omens), My First Fanfic, Romance, Slow Burn, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:15:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27730630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_AJR/pseuds/Miss_AJR
Summary: Aubrey Fell is the owner of Heavenly Hosts, a catering company.  AJ Crowley is the owner of Scarlet Events, an events company.When they meet through work, something sparks...
Relationships: Anathema Device/Newton Pulsifer, Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 39
Collections: Good Omens Human AUs





	A TASTE OF HEAVEN

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever (and likely only!) fanfic. Thank you for taking a look. All crit welcome.
> 
> The one attempted sexual assault scene is September should you wish to skip that part.

**JULY**

Standing in the middle of the huge marquee, Aubrey Fell gazed around and smiled to herself. Finally, all the decorations were finished. Brushing her blonde hair out her eyes, she looked at the long tables laid out in front of her, admiring the floral tablecloths, the matching chair covers, the beautiful displays along each table with cutlery laid to perfection, wine glasses sparkling. She was especially proud of the twinkling fairy lights and the candelabras with their tall ivory candles, bathing the tables in a soft light.

Smoothing down her cream blouse and black skirt, Aubrey turned to walk towards her team of staff, who were standing by for a final briefing before the event began. She had opened her catering company, Heavenly Hosts, just a few years before, and things had been going so well, she couldn't help feeling proud of how far they had come. She had just turned 40 when she was made redundant from her previous office job, so had taken the money, and set up her own company. Now, at 43, she was so pleased she had taken the brave decision to do it.

To be invited to cater for the VIP marquee at The Garden of Eden music festival was a huge deal for the company. It would really put them on the map! With a nature theme throughout the festival, she loved how her floral table decorations matched so well with the main displays, which included huge displays of flowers and greenery, and a massive centrepiece of a fake apple tree in the middle of the marquee, complete with red wax apples.

As she walked across the marquee, she spotted a figure standing near a corner table, apparently moving one of her candelabras. _How dare they!_ she thought. Changing direction, she marched towards the person, who had their back to her as she approached.

“Excuse me?!” she exclaimed. The figure spun round – and Aubrey felt a jolt as she found herself looking into a pair of amber eyes. Standing in front of her was a man, quite tall and extremely skinny. He was dressed entirely in black - a loose black shirt, skinny tie, and some very tight-fitting black jeans. The ensemble was finished with black pointy-toed boots. Aubrey’s eyes swept down and back up as she took in this man in front of her – and found the amber eyes looking at her from a face framed by a mass of bright red hair.

Aubrey found her voice after what seemed like an eternity. “What are you doing with my candelabra?” she demanded.

“Yours?”. The man lifted his lips in a slight grin.

“Yes, mine!” Aubrey replied.

"If you must know, I was stopping you from burning the whole place down,” the man waved a hand towards the table. “I noticed the candle had tipped over and was burning the tablecloth. It was flaming like anything.”

“Oh,” Aubrey looked and noticed that the candle had indeed slipped out of the candelabra and had begun burning a hole in the floral tablecloth. “Thank you” she said, then “Sorry”.

“No harm done,” the man replied. “I’m AJ, by the way” he added, holding a hand out towards her.

“Aubrey” she replied, automatically taking the proffered hand. They shook hands politely, and Aubrey felt another jolt. _Oh, stop it_ , she told herself. AJ released her hand and casually leaned against a pole holding up the marquee.

“So, if this is your candelabra, that must make you Aubrey Fell of Heavenly Hosts.” Aubrey was startled.

“Er....yes, and you are...?”

“Anthony Jay Crowley - but you can call me AJ. I run Scarlet Events. We’re the event organisers for tonight”

“Oh right, of course. I think I’ve been dealing with your assistant...er... “

“Anna”

“Yes, that’s her. I guess I should say thank you for choosing us to do the catering, this is a big event for us."

“Well, the table decorations look amazing. I’m very impressed.”

“Thank you, I’m pleased with them too. Do you think it’s too much? I was worried I had done the wrong thing.”

“I don’t think you can do the wrong thing,” smiled AJ. A lock of his red hair fell across his face and Aubrey had a sudden compulsion to lift her hand and sweep it away.

“Well, I better go talk to my team before they let the hoards in,” she said. “It was good to meet you.”

“And you,” replied AJ. He pushed away from the pole and began to walk away from Aubrey. She noticed he had a certain swagger in his walk, accentuated by his very snake-like hips.

“Er... AJ!” she called. He stopped and turned to look at her. “Are the candles okay? I mean...it won’t cause any more problems?”

“Pray that it doesn’t,” grinned AJ, and he turned and walked off, bidding Aubrey goodbye with a wave of his fingers. Aubrey stared after him, before shaking herself and focused on briefing her team. She crossed the marquee and joined them.

Her assistant Newton was waiting with them, giving directions on the service assignment of the tables. He saw Aubrey's face and asked, “What’s wrong? You look very flushed”.

“I’m fine, just bumped into the guy that runs Scarlet Events”

“Oh, him – I think the phrase is 'a bit of a hottie'?” grinned Newton. Aubrey glared at him.

“Can’t say I noticed. Can we get on with it please, Newt?”

“Yes of course, sorry.... okay, everyone listen up....” As Newt continued issuing instructions, Aubrey glanced back towards where AJ had been. What was wrong with her? Why could she not shake his face from her mind? This wasn’t funny – not funny at all...

**************************************

AJ saw Aubrey look over towards him, but knew she could not see him from his position in the shadows of the marquee. He stroked his chin thoughtfully as he took in the image of the woman across the room. She was petite, with long blonde hair that flowed down her shoulders. Her black skirt sat snugly on her hips, and the cream blouse had an open neck, revealing a glimpse of cleavage as she bent down to adjust a tablecloth. AJ licked his lips and let out a sigh almost like a hiss as he gazed at her. He normally went for skinny model types. She may have been on the...more rounded side, but he found it incredibly appealing – her curvy figure and blue eyes were attractive and made him think distinctly devilish thoughts.

His assistant Anna came up and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned, and smiled at her “What’s up?” AJ trusted Anna implicitly. They had been friends since school, and when AJ had decided to set up his event planning business, he knew who he wanted as his second in command.

“No, it's all good,” she replied, “Just checking everything is in place”

“Thanks; yep, all seems on target. “

“Great.” Anna followed his gaze and spied the target of his attention. “That’s Aubrey Fell, isn’t it? She seems nice – we've had a lot of phone calls arranging today but I haven’t actually met her yet.”

“I have,” replied AJ, “She’s....interesting.”

“Really?” Anna looked at him in surprise. Having known AJ for years she would never have predicted he might be interested in Aubrey. He never mixed business and pleasure, and all of his girlfriends had been distinctly different, and rarely lasted long. He never seemed able to settle. AJ was nearly 50, and Anna wondered sometimes if he was waiting for the right woman....

“Well, don’t get too tempted,” she joked. “We might need to work with her again”.

“Hmmmm, maybe we will,” replied AJ, with a thoughtful smile.

===========================================================================

**AUGUST**

Aubrey and her team were busy setting up in the venue they had been hired to work for. It was called The Ark, and was a smart new shared office space in Central London. They had hired Heavenly Hosts to do the catering for their grand opening. Aubrey really wasn’t sure about the interior design, but hey, she didn’t own it. In line with the name of the venue the walls were decorated with animals in pairs, so she had selected party decorations that consisted of different animals on balloons, napkins, plates and tablecloths. It felt like a kid’s party, but it was what the client wanted. She and Newt were putting finishing touches to the tables when she felt a movement behind her.

“Hello, Aubrey,” said a voice. She turned quickly and saw AJ standing next to her, with a woman behind him.

“AJ,” she smiled. “AJ, this is Newton...Newt. And you must be....”

“Anna” said Anna, shaking Aubrey's hand, as Newt and AJ did the same “We’ve spoken on the phone.”

“Oh yes, lovely to meet you.”

“So, the festival, how did that work out for you?” asked AJ.

“Great, thanks! In fact, it was because of that I got this job,” Aubrey replied.

“Weeeeell…” AJ drew out the word slowly, “I _might_ have mentioned to them that I knew a caterer...”

“Really? Well, thank you,” Aubrey smiled.

“So, what’s all this decoration about? Build a big office space and make it look like a zoo?” asked AJ, looking around. 

“Something like that,” grinned Aubrey.

AJ suddenly reached past Anna and tried to grab a balloon that had come loose from the bunch tied up nearby. He missed and it floated up to the high ceiling and became lodged in the metal roof structure.

“Oi, Shem!” called AJ. A young man came in from the next room, carrying a balloon pump. “Your unicorn decided to make a run for it,” he indicated upwards and Shem groaned when he saw the unicorn shaped balloon floating above them. “Well, you've still got one of them,” said AJ, pointing at the bunch nearby. Shem shook his head and disappeared again.

Anna and Newt walked away, discussing details of the work they had to do. AJ discreetly observed Aubrey. She was wearing a colourful blue dress that matched her piercing blue eyes almost exactly. Her blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail that swung down her back. At the same time, Aubrey glanced back at AJ. He was wearing all black again, this time with a different black shirt that clung to him a little more. His jeans were as tight as last time, and she noticed the belt seemed to be made of snakeskin. She swallowed hard, realising her eyes had been roaming towards his crotch.

“So, you’ve been planning this?” Aubrey asked, turning away to adjust some plates on the table.

“Yep,” replied AJ. “They asked me to get a band, find a caterer....”

Aubrey smiled. “I'm very grateful. That was very nice of you.”

A look of pain crossed AJ’s face and he groaned. “I’m not nice,” he said a bit sullenly. “I’m never nice.”

Aubrey laughed. “Well, thank you anyway. I’d better get on. Maybe see you later?”

“Count on it,” replied AJ, and he walked off. Aubrey looked after him, as Newt walked up, having finished talking to Anna, who now followed AJ.

“He seems like a nice guy,” Newt commented, “And that Anna is very cute too,” he added in a whisper.

“Really? So you won’t need an excuse to work with Scarlet Events again?”

“Neither will you! I’ve seen you looking at that AJ.”

“Stop it! He’d never be interested in me,” said Aubrey.

“Then why are you blushing?”

“I’m not... I mean...I just...” spluttered Aubrey.

“Hmmm....” Newt winked “Come on, they’re letting the crowds in soon. Let’s get the food ready.” Aubrey followed Newt back to the kitchen to help her team get ready, but she still felt the heat on her face, as she thought of the man in black.

==========================================================================

**SEPTEMBER**

The huge stadium space soared above them as Aubrey and Newt drove the catering van across the stadium floor. Aubrey still couldn’t believe they had been asked to do the backstage catering for tonight's event, and wondered briefly if AJ had not had a hand in things again. One of the biggest rock bands, Crucifixion, was performing a one-off gig at the stadium, and Heavenly Hosts were to provide the food for the green room. She was aware Scarlet Events was part of the concert promotion, but she had not heard from AJ directly; she had been liaising with Anna again. Either way, she was thrilled to be part of the event. What she was most excited about was the possibility of meeting the lead singer, Gabriel March. He was exceptionally handsome, with piercing eyes and a chiselled jawline that had adorned posters on many bedroom walls. It was hard to believe that, in a few hours, the stadium space would be heaving with screaming fans.

Newt pulled the van up at the doors that they had been directed to go to, and they began unloading the food. They didn’t need any staff that evening as it was only a small gathering, serving a cold buffet, so she and Newt had chosen to do this job themselves. Best of all, they would be able to see the concert for free! They found the green room, and swiftly set things up, arranging food and drinks across the tables provided.

“I’ll move the van out the way,” said Newt, and disappeared with the van keys. Aubrey tidied around and when she heard the door open she thought it would be Newt coming back. “That was quick...” she said. The words died on her lips as Gabriel March walked into the room. Dressed in a sharp suit, with slicked back hair, he was even more handsome in real life.

“I’m...s..sorry,” she stuttered. “I’m just finishing up here.”

“No rush” he grinned, and held his hand out. “Gabriel,” he said. She took it, and was surprised at how cold his hand felt as they shook hands.

“Yes, I know, I mean.....I’m a big fan....I just... what I should say is I really like your music...” she said shyly.

Gabriel leaned towards her “Excellent,” he grinned. But the grin didn’t quite reach his eyes, and when Aubrey looked closer, she saw his eyes were a cold blue colour, almost violet. _Not like AJ’s warm amber eyes,_ she found herself thinking.

“Um.... would you like anything to eat?” she asked, gesturing to the table of food. She picked up a plate. “Sushi?” she offered.

Gabriel made a face “I do not sully this body with...gross matter” he grimaced.

Aubrey put the plate back down and stepped out from behind the table. “I’ll leave you to it,” she said, “I’ll be back after the concert; I hope it goes well”. She began to walk towards the door. However, she found her way barred as Gabriel put an arm out against the wall to stop her.

“No rush,” he said, and moved towards her again. “Maybe you can offer me....something else.” Aubrey looked at him, and his smile had turned into something rather less pleasant.

“I need to find my friend,” she said firmly, but Gabriel had begun to stroke her arm. She tried to squirm out his way but his hand lifted to her chin and he brought her face round to look at him. “I am sure your friend is fine. But maybe you can cater for me... _personally_ ,” he said, bringing his mouth closer to hers. The hand stroking her arm had increased in pressure and his other arm was still blocking her from the door. _This creep clearly thinks his rock star status can get him anything he want_ s, she realised. No way was she going to let this happen! Her anger was rising and she was trying to decide whether to slap him or knee him in the balls when she heard the door open. She hoped it was Newt coming back.

“We’re busy,” stated Gabriel, still looking at Aubrey.

“I don’t think so,” said a voice, and before she could move, she saw AJ stride across the room and shove Gabriel away hard. He put himself between the singer and Aubrey. “Leave her alone,” he said angrily. AJ glanced at Aubrey “You okay?” he asked, and she nodded. AJ was wearing his trademark tight jeans with a dark green shirt today, and for some reason, some small sunglasses. Gabriel stood up and glared at AJ, who glared back, glarefully. Gabriel stepped forward as if to hit AJ, but seemed to see something in AJ’s face that stopped him.

“Leave...her...alone,” AJ repeated, his voice hard. 

Gabriel laughed. "I’m Gabriel fucking March, I can do what I want!”

“And I am sure the press would love to hear how you sexually harassed a member of the event staff,” AJ snapped.

“Got your boyfriend in the dark glasses to rescue you, huh?” Gabriel sneered at Aubrey. He brushed himself off and stalked past them, slamming the door after him.

AJ turned back to Aubrey. Not realising how much she was shaking, she let AJ lead her to a sofa, where she collapsed with her face in her hands, breathing heavily. After a moment she looked up and saw AJ sitting calmly looking at her. He had removed the glasses and she looked into his warm eyes.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

“Lucky I was in the area,” he replied She held out her hands in front of her, and noticed they were still shaking. “What a rude, self-righteous prick he turned out to be,” she said. Her breath caught as AJ placed his hands onto hers. She looked up and found he was looking right at her.

“It’s okay, he won’t be back. I’ll look after you,” AJ said quietly. And Aubrey believed him. Despite what had just taken place, her hands stopped shaking, and she felt calm as the warmth from his hands soothed hers. AJ ran his thumbs over her knuckles, spreading the warmth even further. Aubrey couldn’t stop looking at him. She was about to say something when the door burst open.

“Is everything okay? I saw that singer Gabriel come past and he was muttering about some guy with red hair...” Newt stopped when he saw the two of them sitting on the sofa, though AJ had already dropped Aubrey’s hands and was standing up.

“All fine, thanks, Newt ” he said breezily. “Aubrey had a bit of a scare with him – turns out he’s not as angelic as his namesake. Maybe I should get her home.”

“Er....sure....I mean, whatever Aubrey wants. I can take care of things here," Newt replied, shooting a worried look at Aubrey.

“Really, I don’t need to go,” Aubrey protested. “We’ll miss the concert!”

“You want to watch him after what he just tried?” AJ asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, no, but....”

“Then let me give you a lift. Anywhere you want to go.”

Aubrey looked at AJ and could see the concern in his eyes. Turning to Newt she saw him also looking worried. She realised she was still feeling shaky, and maybe hanging around in the same place as the man who had assaulted her was not a good plan.

“Okay, yes, thank you. My office is fine.”

“Come on, then.”

After finalising details with Newt, Aubrey followed AJ to his car. She climbed in and gave directions to her office address. Fastening her seat belt, Aubrey sat quietly, trying to think through what had happened. She couldn’t believe what an asshole Gabriel was - she was definitely going to report it. No way was she letting him do that to someone else. And then there was AJ - sweeping in to rescue her like some....guardian angel.

“Why were you there?” she asked, finding her voice.

“We had been doing the concert promotion,” AJ replied.

“I know, but why were you in that room – how did you know I was there?”

“I saw the van – guessed you were in the green room,” AJ shrugged "though I didn't expect to see....well, you know".

“Did you get us the job?”

“Um....yes. Okay, I admit, I recommended you.”

“Oh, okay. Well, thank you, again.”

“I would never have put you in that position if I had known what he was really like,” hissed AJ.

“It isn’t your fault.”

“But it is....”

“AJ, stop it! You couldn’t have known that he was a creep.”

“I guess so.” AJ sped along the dark London streets, and a few times Aubrey wanted to ask him to slow down. They pulled up at Aubrey’s address. She turned to look at him. His eyes seemed even more yellow under the streetlights.

“Should I say thank you again?” she said.

“Better not,” said AJ.

“I was wondering if you wanted to...I don’t know... go for a drive somewhere sometime? Have a.... picnic?”

“Possibly....but maybe I can drive next time” Aubrey replied.

“Why?”

“You go too fast for me,” she grinned.

AJ grinned back. “Okay. Next time.”

Aubrey nodded and stepped out of the car. She watched as AJ pulled away, and wondered what their next encounter might involve.

===========================================================================

**OCTOBER**

AJ pulled up outside the address he had been given, and looked at the shop. A big red painted sign stated WESSEX BOOKSHOP. He was in the right place anyway. He had been delighted to hear from Aubrey when she invited him to the opening of her friend’s bookshop.

Stepping out the car he looked at the front windows and realised the whole place had been done up for Halloween. In the window were pumpkin lights, cotton wool spider webs, a skeleton, and a huge display of novels. Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”, “The Exorcist” by William Blatty, “The Call of Cthulhu” by H. P Lovecraft, “Coraline” by Neil Gaiman, “Something Wicked This Way Comes” by Ray Bradbury. There were so many, and even AJ (who didn't read books) recognised the authors.

He opened the shop door, and a bell tinkled above him. How quaint, he thought. As he stood waiting he glanced round the rest of the decorations – someone had gone Halloween-crazy inside, with even more spider webs, pumpkins, bats hanging from the ceiling, and some appropriately spooky music from somewhere. A man appeared out of the back of the shop.

“Hello, welcome,” he said. AJ smiled at the man. He was fairly short, with a grey beard, glasses, and wearing a black hat.

“I’m looking for Aubrey,” he said.

“Ah, she’s out here. This way. I’m Terry, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Anthony Crowley – call me AJ.”

“Crowley....interesting name....” pondered Terry, as he led AJ through to the back of the shop. AJ found Aubrey in a back room, which had a small corner kitchen, fiddling with a portable gas stove. She was surrounded by bags of flour, boxes of milk, eggs, a mixing bowl and various cooking tools. She smiled as AJ approached.

“Hi, how are you?”

“Fine, thanks for inviting me. I’m not much of a book person, but I was interested in seeing this place. So, what is this for?”

“My friend, Terry, just reopened after a refurb, and he wanted to make it special, so I suggested a Halloween theme and said I would do some nibbles for the customers.”

“Sounds good, can I help?”

“You’re my guest, you don’t have to help.”

“Oh, go on, I’m happy to.”

“Okay if you’re sure. Start mixing that, would you?” she thrust the mixing bowl into his hands, and he found it was full of batter.

“What are you making?” he asked, stirring hard at the mixture.

“Crêpes,” she replied. “I’m doing coffin-shaped sandwiches, bat-shaped biscuits, and don’t even ask about the finger buffet,” she winked at him. “I thought crêpes flambé would add a dramatic touch.”

“Okay, great, let me know if you need me to do anything.”

“Would you help me move this little stove into the main shop? Thought I could cook them while people shopped.”

“Are you sure? Naked flame near all those books? And let’s face it, you don’t have the best track record with anything with flames...” he grinned at her. Aubrey’s brow furrowed. “Candelabra? Garden of Eden?” he smiled, and Aubrey realised he had remembered the first time they met.

“Just help me with the table” she said, as her face turned pink at the memory. He helped her lift the stove onto a table, which they carried out to the main shop and placed as far away from the books as they could. Terry fussed around them, clearly nervous something might go wrong. AJ looked Aubrey up and down as she set up the table. Today she was the one all in black – a black silk blouse with ruffled sleeves, and a pair of velvet trousers that looked eminently strokable to AJ. The outfit was completed with silver spider web earrings, and she had put some black streaks in her blonde hair. She looked up and caught him staring at her. He looked away, embarrassed. Aubrey smiled and took the chance to look at him too. The tight jeans had been replaced by some very fetching black trousers with a fashionably wide bottom, and he wore a red shirt. Aubrey grabbed a pair of red devil horns on a hairband that were perched on a nearby bust, and leaned over to shove them on AJ’s head. He laughed at his reflection in the shop window. With the horns on his head merging into his red hair, he definitely looked quite the devil.

They were soon busy serving food as customers visited, drawn in by the Halloween decorations. Aubrey’s crêpes were received very well. The bell over the door was ringing constantly as people came and went. As the evening came to a close, Terry locked up after the last customer and smiled at the two of them.

“That was wonderful,” he said “Let me get us a drink to celebrate,” and he went to the rear of the shop.

“Did you make the decorations?” AJ asked Aubrey as they tidied up.

“Yes; do you think it was too much? Too spooky?”

“Not at all – I like spooky; big spooky fan, me,” laughed AJ.

Terry returned carrying a bottle of brandy, and he poured them each a generous glass.

“To books,” he said, and the other two responded in kind.

“I’ll make us all a last crêpe each,” said Aubrey. She turned on the little stove and let the oil get hot. “I can use some of this brandy,” she said, and began to pour a little from her glass into the pan. A few drops ran down the side of the glass and dripped onto the gas flame. Before they realised what had happened, a searing flame shot up in the air, causing Aubrey to drop the frying pan, which flipped hot oil onto her hand. She screamed, and AJ was at her side in an instant. He flipped the gas stove off and Terry kicked the pan out of the way. Fortunately, it was not near his precious books.

Aubrey was barely aware of AJ pulling her into the back of the shop. He turned on the cold tap at the sink and thrust her hand under the cold water. She gasped in shock, but he stood behind her, arms on either side of her waist, as he kept her hand firmly under the running water. After several minutes, the pain and shock subsided, and Aubrey began to breathe more normally. As reality asserted itself, she became acutely aware of AJ pressed up behind her. His hands were still stroking her injured hand under the water, but instead of cooling her, she started to feel very warm. His touch was gentle, soothing, but it was also doing… _other_ things that were making her stomach flip. She stood up a little straighter and AJ seemed to realise what he was doing. He stepped back and looked at her.

“Are you … I mean, is the hand...”

“Fine now, thank you,” she managed a wobbly grin. There was an awkward silence. She found a towel and dried her hands, then passed it to AJ who did the same. Aubrey could hear Terry moving around in the shop.

“I better go and help...”

“Yes, sure, if you’re okay now. Do you need to go to hospital or anything?”

“No, it feels better already. Guess you rescued me again.”

“Don’t tell anyone,” he laughed awkwardly. "I’ll leave you to it." AJ removed the red horns from his head and handed them to her. Aubrey took them and could feel the warmth of him on them. “As long as you are okay,” AJ continued, his voice still a bit uncertain.

“I am, honestly; go. I’ll see you soon.”

“I hope so,” he replied. He picked up her injured hand and brought it to his lips, which he very gently touched on the burned pink skin. Aubrey shivered, and knew it wasn’t from the pain. “See you,” he said quietly and walked out. She heard Terry unlock the shop door and heard AJ say goodbye to Terry, and the doorbell jingled as AJ left. Aubrey waited, and eventually heard his car engine start and then drive off. She walked into the shop and Terry fussed over her.

“Your friend seems nice,” he said as they finished clearing up.

“He’s not really a friend, we don’t know each other.”

Terry looked up and stared at Aubrey. “They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it's not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance,” he said to her. Aubrey looked at Terry in surprise - he was certainly a wise friend and she trusted him.

“AJ’s nice” she managed “but I don’t know if... He’s been there a lot for me lately. We get on well, I think. I’m not sure whether he is feeling…”

“You didn’t see his face as he left, he was worried about you” Terry said. “He’s not necessarily your knight in shining armour, but...” he shrugged.

Aubrey pondered on that as they turned off the lights and locked up. She gave Terry a hug goodbye and got in her car. “Mind how you go,” he called as she drove off.

========================================================================

**NOVEMBER**

Aubrey had been surprised (and delighted) to hear from AJ a few days later. He had rung her to ask if she wished to accompany him to an industry event at an exhibition centre. The Globe Catering Convention was one of the biggest events of the year, and would be a great opportunity to network with other businesses. They agreed to meet in the main entrance hall and she spotted him walking towards her. She tried to ignore how her pulse sped up as he greeted her.

"How's the hand?" he asked.

"Absolutely fine," she replied, and lifted her hand to show him that her skin was clear of any burn damage. To her surprise, he took her hand and gently touched where the damaged area had been, before lacing his fingers with hers and giving her hand a gentle squeeze. He dropped her hand, and for some reason she suddenly felt bereft at the loss of the touch.

"So where shall we look first?" said AJ, consulting the exhibition map and programme guide.

"There's a fantastic baking demonstration," Aubrey pointed at the location of the stand on the map.

"Okay, let's go." They walked along a corridor towards the main arena. Suddenly there was a shout of "Look out!" AJ turned and saw a trolley laden with boxes speeding towards them. He pulled Aubrey away and flattened them both against the wall, just as the trolley flew past them and crashed into the wall. Aubrey felt her breath leave her body as AJ threw her against the wall hard, not realising what was happening. His arms lifted to either side of her head as he protected her. The trolley hit the wall right where she had been standing. She let out a yelp of surprise and immediately AJ pulled tighter against her, whispering "It's okay, you're fine". The noise subsided and people surrounded them to check they were alright.

All Aubrey could sense was AJ pressed against her, his breath on her ear, his red hair against her cheek. He pulled back and they were nose to nose. Aubrey realised she was staring right at his mouth, lifted her eyes and then found herself staring into his amber eyes. All she had to do was move forward an inch and.... 

A frantic member of staff rushed up, apologising and asking if they needed help. AJ pushed away from her and Aubrey again mourned the loss of his touch. AJ assured everyone they were _“...fine, thank you so much, no need for any help, very grateful…_ ” He turned away and began walking towards the arena quickly, leaving Aubrey almost jogging after him, and feeling rather dazed with what had just happened. What in heaven's name was wrong with her? She had never felt like this, had never reacted to a man before like she did with AJ now. She sighed and tried to keep up with AJ.

************************************************************

AJ didn't dare turn around to see if Aubrey was following him. He couldn't risk her seeing his face, which might give away his reaction to what just happened. What the hell was wrong with him? She was so not his type, so why did he feel the need to protect her? All he could think of was how good it had felt with her next to him, how he now knew what she smelled like... He shook his head and tried to forget it.

They arrived at the baking demonstration stand and managed to get near the front. In front of the gathering crowd was a large display of baked goods that looked truly spectacular. A man stepped up onto the stand - he was dressed in chef's whites and had a microphone headset on.

"Good afternoon, everyone," he greeted the crowd. "My name is Eric and I'm the owner of Eric's Eats. I am so pleased to welcome you to the exhibition today." Eric continued to talk about the business. AJ had his head tilted down, reading a leaflet, long red hair keeping his face hidden. But he could feel Aubrey's eyes on him, even without looking up. He was having a moment. He needed to just not look at Aubrey for a few minutes, and he'd be fine.

Eric continued with his presentation. "So today I've brought some of our products which you are welcome to taste. We've got Bundt cake, sponge cake, Angel's food cake, Devil's food cake, four types of sourdough loaf, avocado cake, and Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte." The crowd ooohed and aaahed in appreciation. "If you would all like to queue up over here, we'll serve you your samples. Thanks for listening."

The crowd applauded and began to form a queue. Aubrey and AJ dutifully joined it, Aubrey in front of AJ as they shuffled forward. AJ noticed her hair was up in a sort of fluffed-up ponytail, revealing the nape of her neck. Recalling how the blonde strands had felt against his face just a short time earlier, he wondered what she would do if he gently touched the skin there, which he knew from the "wall slam incident" would be warm and smooth. There was hair escaping from the ponytail, and in the harsh lights of the exhibition centre it made a sort of halo around her head. _Stop it!_ he told himself.

They were given a tray of cake samples on napkins and Aubrey picked up some Angel's food cake and placed the morsel in her mouth. "Oh wow, mmmmm," she moaned, and AJ tensed at the sound. She turned to look at him. "This tastes amazing - you have to try it!"

AJ's brain froze, and all he could say was "Ngkk...." Aubrey picked up another cake sample and bit into it. Again, she let out a slight moan, clearly enjoying the scrumptious goodies. AJ was stunned. Her half-closed eyes, the slight smile as she licked icing from her lips with another "mmmm".... it was just all too much for him.

"I think I need to go...er...stuff to do...I'll give you a call," he said, "Are you okay getting back? I'll... just....see you," AJ spun round, and before Aubrey could say anything, she saw his slim black figure disappearing into the crowd, red hair flying out behind him.

==================================================================

**DECEMBER**

It had been several weeks since Aubrey had heard from AJ. As they approached Christmas, their respective businesses had been very busy and they had done a few events together, but it seemed to Aubrey that AJ was avoiding her. She had had all her business dealings with Anna. Even at some of the events, he had barely said two words to her.

She knew that he would be at today's event. This was a big Christmas party for a city firm. They had hired an entire warehouse called La Bastille, which had been converted into different rooms or zones. Scarlet Events had been booked to do the planning, and Heavenly Hosts was in charge of the food. The firm had invited not just the employees, but their families as well. Aubrey had taken a tour of the warehouse before the event started, and was quite impressed with it. There were rooms for the children, including a space and stars-themed room (which for some reason contained a model of a Dr Who TARDIS and a cardboard cut-out of the Tenth Doctor), a cartoon-themed room with some people dressed in giant fluffy bunny costumes (quite frankly, they terrified Aubrey), and a magic-themed room, with a man in a magician’s costume pulling rabbits out of a hat and magicking coins from behind people's ears (Aubrey could see how it was done - he wasn't especially good).

The biggest room at the heart of the warehouse space was a stunning ballroom. They had fitted a ceiling to create an intimate atmosphere, with a stage at one end for a band, and tables against the far wall for the buffet. Large picture windows allowed in the natural light, and with plenty of soft evening lighting, it made for a beautiful space for dancing. Aubrey loved this room, and could picture herself spinning around in the arms of some handsome man, underneath the glittering ball hanging above them, dancing across the space til he would dip her in his arms, Hollywood-style, and kiss her, as she ran her hands through his red hair..... _Red?!_ Aubrey brought herself up sharply from her daydreaming. Where in heaven's name did that thought come from? She needed to stop this!

Aubrey caught her reflection in one of the huge windows, and leaned in to adjust the halo on her head. Tonight's event was a fancy-dress, and Aubrey had decided on a Christmas angel. Her stunning white short-sleeved dress draped beautifully down her body and stopped just below her knees, tied at the waist with a gold-coloured piece of rope. A glittering gold halo was fixed on a headband in her hair, which she had teased into a cloud of blonde fluffiness. She felt quite pretty for a change, and wondered briefly what AJ might dress up as.

She marched across the dance floor, taking in the Christmas decorations - gold and silver tinsel, glittering lights and mini Christmas trees were hung on the wall. Everything looked so wonderful. Heading into the kitchens she found Newt taking charge of the team as they busied about preparing all the food. In a few hours the crowds would arrive, and it would be action stations.

As she wheeled a trolley of plates across the floor, she saw AJ walk in with Anna. Her breath caught as she watched him. AJ had come as...

"A devil? Really?" she looked him up and down.

"A demon, if you please" he replied. He was wearing the tightest black trousers she had ever seen, which made his legs appear even longer. He had paired a black shirt with a red-patterned jacket, and was wearing some sort of contact lenses that made him seem almost serpentine. He also had the snakeskin belt she had seen before, and some snakeskin boots. He completed the look with some red horns very similar to the ones she had put on him at Halloween, perched on his red hair, which had been tied into what she could only describe as a "man bun".

"Not very Christmassy," she said to him.

"I had it in my wardrobe, I'm not very inventive about this stuff," he shrugged.

Aubrey rolled her eyes. "What about you, Anna?"

"Oh no, I am not into dressing up - no way," Anna laughed "I'm just going to check the rooms - back in a while!"

They found themselves on their own for the first time in several weeks. AJ gazed at Aubrey and took in her white dress and halo.

"Hello, Angel," he said quietly.

Aubrey was shocked at the endearment. "Excuse me?"

"You look amazing. Truly angelic," he smiled. Aubrey's heart was beating a little faster.

"Um, thank you. You look...very nice too. Very....demonic," she blushed. AJ made as if to say something else, but Anna re-appeared at the door.

"AJ, the magician is having a panic attack, and the rabbit escaped. Can you help?" she called.

"Okay - coming," He reached out a hand and touched Aubrey's cheek.

"See you later, Angel," he said, and turned and walked to the door.

Aubrey stood in shock as she watched him vanish. It finally hit her. Whatever demonic spell he had cast, she realised she was in serious danger of falling for this man. And in fact, she probably had already. She looked up at the ceiling and said to herself, "Oh.... _fuck_."

********************************************

Despite escaping rabbits and some last-minute panic over the lighting of the Christmas puddings (Aubrey was having flashbacks to her flambé disaster at the bookshop), the whole evening went very smoothly. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and the kids had departed, high on sugar, whilst the adults had boogied the evening away on the dance floor. Aubrey had not seen more than a glimpse of AJ all evening, and after her earlier self-realisation of her feelings for him, she found herself looking out for him each time a man in a red jacket walked past.

She walked into the room where the magician had been performing and looked round in horror. The cake she had carefully made was in a pile of crumbs on the floor and the walls were covered in smears of coloured icing and jam. She felt really annoyed that her hard work had been wasted.

"Animals!" she shouted at the empty room.

"Animals don't smash up cake and smear it everywhere, Angel, only kids do that,"

"AJ?" Aubrey whipped round and saw AJ leaning against the door. He had removed his red jacket and taken out the weird contact lenses, so she could see his real eye colour now. She giggled, despite herself "Well I would happily kill the little.... darlings," she said.

"You can't kill kids!" replied AJ in mock horror. "Come on, it's not your problem. They have a cleaning crew coming in tomorrow. Let's get packed up." He placed a hand casually on her back as he steered her out the room and Aubrey tried to ignore the hot feeling that spread through her at his touch. They walked towards the kitchens, crossing the dance floor, and as they entered, walked in on Newt and Anna clinging to each other in a deep kiss. The pair sprang apart immediately, and AJ burst out laughing.

"We leave you two for 5 minutes..."

"AJ, I'm sorry, it's my fault" babbled Newt. "Don't blame Anna... we just... I mean..." he looked at Aubrey "Sorry, Aubrey."

"Yes, sorry," blushed Anna, clearly embarrassed.

"Hmmm, what should we do with these two?" said AJ to Aubrey with a twinkle in his eye.

"Well, as everyone had gone I suppose it wasn't a terrible thing," said Aubrey.

"I guess sometimes you just can't help yourself?" said AJ with a smirk, and Newt and Anna glanced at each other in what was clearly an agreement with that statement.

"Oh, come on, guys, I'm pleased for you!" said Aubrey "I should have guessed, Newt!"

"Yeah, Anna, when were you going to tell me?" added AJ

"I didn't know if it was....well....right, and....we weren't sure if we felt the same and..." Anna tailed off.

"Hmmm. Shall we just let them go, Angel? I think we've embarrassed them enough."

Newt's eyes flicked to Aubrey as he heard the endearment and he raised his eyebrows questioningly. Aubrey cut off his look with a brief shake of her head. "Go on, Newt. I'll finish up here. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yep, go on Anna, I'll help Aubrey".

The suitably shamed couple thanked their bosses, grabbed their coats and left.

"Wow, there's a turn up," said AJ.

"Well, I had a feeling something might happen. Newt had said Anna was cute and never stopped talking about her" replied Aubrey, pulling the plastic halo off her head.

"So are you okay with two of our team getting together?"

"I don't see it as a problem. Just have to make sure they stay professional," said Aubrey, picking up some boxes. She didn't dare let her thoughts wander to two other people in the same businesses getting together...

"Okay, let's get this lot packed, and then we can go too," AJ followed Aubrey out to the van and they quickly loaded her equipment. After a few repeat trips, they were done.

"Thanks for that," she said.

"No problem," AJ smiled. Aubrey looked up to avoid looking into his amber eyes, and noticed the night sky above was bright with stars.

"Wow, it's so clear," she said. AJ followed her gaze.

"How many stars and planets there must be," he said. They stood quietly, and Aubrey shivered slightly in the cold, as she only had her white dress on. AJ noticed and slid his arm around her shoulders.

"Come on, let's get going," he said.

"Okay. I just need to get my bag."

Ducking away from his arm, Aubrey dashed inside and back to the kitchen, grabbed her coat and bag and turned off the lights. When she came back out, the dance floor was dark, lit only by the stars from the night sky outside, and a remaining spot light on the glitterball hanging from the centre of the ceiling. AJ stood underneath it, almost a black shadow in the dim light. She crossed the floor and as she reached him, he placed a hand lightly on her arm to stop her in front of him. With his other hand, he pointed upwards and then lifted his head to look up to the ceiling. Aubrey followed his gaze, and for the first time noticed that hanging next to the glitterball was a huge bunch of mistletoe.

She brought her eyes back down and found herself looking into the amber eyes she had been trying to avoid. She swallowed hard as AJ brought a hand to her cheek and caressed it. She half closed her eyes and heard him sigh as his other hand stroked her arm.

"I...I don't know how to say this." he said. "I can't stop thinking about you. You're amazing, and special, and....I think I've fallen for you." Aubrey opened her eyes and she realised AJ was shaking slightly. She lifted her hand to touch his cheek and the hand on her arm slid round her waist and pulled her into him a little more.

"I've fallen for you as well," she replied, and she felt herself relax as she finally admitted her feelings. It made her feel brave, and she reached up and slid an arm around his neck. "There's an awfully large bunch of mistletoe going to waste," she whispered. That was all the encouragement AJ needed, as he brought his mouth down on hers, softly, gently. Aubrey couldn't believe this was happening - how much she had been thinking of this and now it wasn't just a thought, it was actually this devilishly handsome man, with his lips against hers, his hands stroking her back as she moaned gently and he pulled her tighter.

AJ’s mouth pressed harder against hers as the kiss deepened and he almost felt like his body was about to discorporate as Aubrey eagerly responded to his caresses along her back and neck.

They finally broke apart and looked at each other breathlessly. AJ smoothed her hair away from her face. "Angel..." he whispered, and kissed a line down her forehead, nose and lips. Aubrey sighed and wrapped her arms around him. They stood for a moment, just enjoying the feeling of finally being near each other.

"I guess we're not the only ones who can't help ourselves," she murmured into his chest. ”I thought you were avoiding me - you didn’t seem to want to talk to me”.

"I’m sorry, Angel, I really am. I just didn’t know how you felt. Believe me I’ve been dreaming of this for so long, and tried everything not to frighten you off! I've wanted to do that since the exhibition" he said into her hair. "I'm sorry I ran out that day, but we had that ...thing, er ...happen..."

"You mean, when you pinned me to the wall?" smiled Aubrey, "I must admit, I came very close to.....to kissing you too"

"I wish you had," he growled, pressing a kiss on her neck. "Then you started eating that cake, and making all those noises..."

"Noises? I don't make noises!" said Aubrey, hitting him lightly on the arm.

"Oh, you do," AJ insisted. "When you try something delicious, you make these moaning noises..."

"Really? So, what other delicious things should I try..." said Aubrey, as she ran her fingers up into his hair.

"I'm sure I can think of something....Merry Christmas, Angel" he smiled as he brought his mouth down to claim hers again. Above them, the mistletoe sparkled in the reflected light of the glitterball, as the couple kissed on and on....

=================================================================

**JANUARY**

New Year had come and gone, and Aubrey and AJ were still enjoying getting to know each other. Being a busy time of year for both their businesses, they were grabbing spare hours here and there. They had told Anna and Newt about their new relationship. Anna and Newt were equally happy for them, given that their own relationship was blossoming too.

Aubrey was enjoying a rare day off, and had gone to see Terry at Wessex Bookshop. She told him that the man he had met at Halloween was now her boyfriend and he was thrilled. _Boyfriend?_ Ugh, she hated the word. Well, whatever it was, she had never felt like this about any man. She sat in the back of the shop, sipping tea from a white mug with some angel wings on it (honestly, where did Terry get this stuff?) and nibbling some biscuits she had brought for him.

The phone rang in the shop and Terry answered it. He spoke for a while with whoever it was and when he finished he came to the rear of the shop.

"I've got a buyer for that rare book of prophecies," he told her. "He's in a village about an hour away. Wants to get it as soon as possible. Would you mind very much taking a drive out and delivering it please?"

"No problem, happy to help," said Aubrey, jumping up. "Maybe I can make a trip out of it with AJ." She grabbed her phone and dialled his mobile, and he answered immediately.

"Hello, Angel". The name he had given her at Christmas had stuck, and she never got tired of hearing it.

"Hello, my demon" she smiled. "Listen, are you free in a while?" She explained the situation and AJ happily agreed to pick her up and drive her to the address Terry provided. He suggested bringing a small picnic to have later, even though it was really too cold for it.

A little while later they were heading out on a road trip. AJ agreed to drive more slowly, and they enjoyed talking, spending the time together. The day was chilly but bright and sunny, and Aubrey was wrapped up in a big puffy coat, while AJ sported his trademark tight jeans with a short coat, and his dark glasses. Aubrey noticed the picnic basket AJ had placed on the back seat of the car.

"Tartan? Really?" she asked.

"It's stylish!" he replied. Aubrey raised an eyebrow. "Okay, it was left over from an event and it looked useful. It's even got a matching flask and blanket!". Aubrey rolled her eyes.

They arrived safely at the address, a lovely house on the village green next to a church. AJ agreed to wait in the car, as Aubrey didn't think she would take too long. As she stepped out of the car, a man appeared at the front door.

"Hello!" he called "I'm Michael, thank you so much for coming."

"No problem," smiled Aubrey. "I have your book."

"Let's pop into the church," said Michael "I'm allowed to keep my rarer books locked in the vestry."

Aubrey followed him as he unlocked the door, and they went in and walked the length of the church to the small vestry at the rear. Aubrey produced the book and handed it to Michael, who looked at it reverentially.

"How wonderful, I've been looking for this for a while," he smiled, and placed it on a table behind him.

"That's lovely - so I'll just collect payment and we'll leave it with you," smiled Aubrey.

"Oh, I can't pay you today - I did say to the man on the phone" said Michael, smiling sweetly.

"Er... no, that's not correct, I can't leave it with you if you won't pay the agreed amount"

"You have been most helpful, my dear, but it would be such a pity if you were.... less than sporting..." Michael touched the book and the smile became less sincere. Aubrey was getting annoyed.

"Do you think I'm some kind of....sucker!" she said.

Just then there was a loud noise as the church door banged open and she saw AJ hopping down the aisle of the church, like he was walking on hot coals.

"What are you doing here?"

"I need a wee!" said AJ, hopping from foot to foot "You were taking forever!"

"Oh, for heaven's sake... can my friend use your toilet?" she asked the man

"Over there," Michael pointed at a small door behind him. AJ rushed past and slammed the door closed.

"Look, this is ridiculous, let me have the book back or just pay the money," she said to Michael.

AJ reappeared from the toilet and went to stand beside Aubrey. "Problem?" he asked

"This man won't pay the money for the book," said Aubrey

"Ah, right, well we're clearly wasting our time here, so let's just go, shall we?" said AJ, and grabbing Aubrey's arms he ushered her up the aisle of the church and out the door before she could protest. As they left, there was a boom as the door slammed shut and locked behind them.

"AJ! What is wrong with you?" yelled Aubrey. "The book! If we forget the book we'll..." , then stopped as she saw AJ was holding the book in his hand.

"Little demonic miracle of my own," he said, handing her the book. "Guessed something was wrong so I swiped it when he wasn't looking," he added, taking off his glasses to look at her. Aubrey stood in shock as he polished the glasses and put them back on. "Lift home, Angel?" he said, and walked off as Aubrey stared after him, realising just how much she had fallen for this man.

========================================================================

**FEBRUARY**

It was Valentine's day. AJ vaguely sauntered along Greek Street in London's Soho. He had been visiting his accountant, Neil. The man had a tendency towards unruly hair, and he wore black all the time like AJ, but was excellent when it came to the books. AJ took in the Valentine's decorations in all the shops and restaurants as he headed for Shaftesbury Avenue. He stopped at a gift shop and caught his reflection in the window. It was a chilly but fine day, and he had thrown on a large puffy coat over his usual black ensemble. He looked at the teddy bears, chocolates and heart-shaped stuff in the window display. His thoughts turned to Aubrey - should he buy her something? It had only been a few weeks, so would something like this be appropriate? Were they even enough of a couple to warrant Valentine's gifts? He knew how he felt about her, but....

His thoughts were interrupted by a tap on his shoulder, and he turned to see the image in his head standing right in front of him.

"Fancy meeting you here," said Aubrey, smiling widely. She was wrapped against the chill in a bright red knee length coat and soft white scarf.

"Oh, hi," AJ bent down and gave her a kiss.

"Please tell me you are not planning to buy me some ridiculous teddy bear," she said.

"Er....no."

"Good, I haven’t gotten you anything either," she grinned, putting her arm through his. "What are you doing here?"

"Accountant," said AJ. "You?"

"Just picked up some theatre tickets - new play with Michael Sheen."

"Oh, I like him, he's very good," said AJ.

"Yep, he's amazing; you can come with me, if you want?"

"Sounds good. So, seeing as we aren't getting each other anything for Valentine’s, can I at least buy you a coffee?" asked AJ.

"Definitely," said Aubrey. They quickly chose a nearby coffee shop and walked in, heading for the order point. The next thing they knew there was a blast of loud music, a bang of party poppers and lots of people crowding around them cheering loudly. In complete shock, Aubrey gripped AJ's hand as she realised there was a camera and microphone being shoved in their faces, and a young blonde woman dressed in a shocking pink skin tight dress and dangerously high heels was hugging them and talking very fast.

"Congratulations!! You are our 100th customers and you have won today's star prize!!" she yelled into the microphone, her heavily lipsticked mouth glistening around very whitened teeth. Aubrey and AJ were still in shock as the blonde woman held the mic out and asked them their names.

"Er...Anthony..." said AJ. Aubrey was silent, still a rabbit-in-headlights, gripping AJ's hand tightly. She hated being the centre of attention and this was terrifying her. "...and Aubrey" answered AJ for her, smiling to rival the toothy blonde. _He’s clearly better at handling this stuff,_ thought Aubrey.

"Ant and Aub - how adorable!" yelled the blonde, grinning manically at the camera. AJ and Aubrey cringed inwardly at the name shortening from the heavily made up woman. "You gorgeous couple have won a fabulous prize for being the 100th customers, so follow me!" she cried, dragging AJ by the hand so Aubrey was forced to follow.

They were led outside and the camera crew positioned themselves to film every angle.

"Your grand prize is....a ride in this amazing car!" said the blonde, gesturing to one side. A sleek black car slid slowly along the street, followed by a crowd of admirers with their mobile phones out. AJ’s jaw dropped.

"That's a Bentley. A 1934 Bentley," he whispered in awe. Aubrey looked at him in confusion, though she had to admit the car was stunning.

"You get to take a trip in this car - anywhere you want to go," said the presenter, still grinning. She took AJ’s arm and pulled him to the now parked car, and AJ pulled Aubrey with him.

"Let's get a shot of you two with the car" whispered the blonde, away from the mic, "For promo, okay?"

AJ looked at Aubrey and realised she was still in shock, and he needed to take control to get them out of here. He put on his 'event-manager-in-charge' persona and smiled back at the presenter. "No problem." He took Aubrey's hand and looked at her and whispered quietly, "It's okay, just go with it, follow my lead." She nodded and held on to his hand. Turning to the cameras, he smiled and waved, put an arm around Aubrey, whilst nudging her to copy him. Her brain kicked into gear and she followed suit, waving at the camera with a fixed smile.

Someone in the crowd shouted "Kiss her!" and the rest seemed to pick up on it and started chanting "Kiss, kiss, kiss....". AJ looked at Aubrey and quietly said "It's just for the camera, okay? Go with it?" and Aubrey nodded. AJ hooked his arm around her waist, bent her backwards slightly, and planted his lips against hers in a Hollywood kiss. He held her briefly to let the cameras get their shots whilst the crowd cheered and whooped, before pulling her back upright.

The blonde presenter seemed very happy with that as she came and shook their hands and thanked them. "You guys were totes amazeballs!" she squealed excitedly and handed AJ a piece of paper. "The driver will take you wherever you need to be. Here's my Insta – follow me, yeah? Ciao!" And before they knew what happened, the TV crew had dispersed, and the crowd was moving off. AJ turned to the driver and asked if he could take them to his office address. "Wherever, jump in," the man replied.

AJ opened a door to the Bentley and made sure Aubrey was safely seated, before moving to the other side and sliding in as well. The tan leather seats of the car were beautiful, and AJ was amazed at the stunning interior. The driver pulled away from the kerb smoothly and headed into the London traffic. AJ looked at Aubrey, who still had barely spoken. He reached out for her hand on the seat beside him and gave it a squeeze.

"You okay?"

"Not really - kind of freaked out," replied Aubrey.

AJ slid across the seat and put his arm around her. The old car meant no seat belts, though the slow-moving London traffic was unlikely to present an issue. Aubrey leaned against him and relaxed with a sigh. That had been horrible. This was why she always stayed behind the scenes at her events. AJ rubbed her shoulder and pulled her close. She sighed again and he kissed the top of her head.

"It's okay - we are fine, you're safe" he tried to console her.

"I know it was just.... scary," she offered.

She looked up at him, and he leaned over and kissed her lips. She sighed gently against his mouth and AJ, encouraged by this, continued the kiss. His tongue explored her soft lips, before starting a deeper kiss that Aubrey responded to. Her hands slid into his hair and he pulled her closer as she caressed his red locks, stroking his neck. AJ gently pulled the scarf from Aubrey's neck and his fingers moved to the top button of her coat. He looked at her and she could tell what he was asking with his eyes and nodded. He undid the top couple of buttons and brought his lips to her throat. Aubrey felt like she was drunk, intoxicated on AJs kisses. She found herself whispering his name as he continued to kiss her. Her hand found his jean-clad thigh and she stroked her hand along it, up and down, which made him press against her even more.

There was a cough, and the pair sprang apart. They both realised they were almost horizontal across the back seat of the Bentley, which had now stopped at the kerb, and the driver was looking at them from the front seat with a comical look on his face.

"Er...sorry to bother you, but we're here," he said. He opened the door and stepped out, leaving them looking at each other in shocked silence.

"Maybe we should...go," AJ said. Aubrey nodded and retrieved her scarf and bag, pushed the car door open, and got out where she joined AJ on the pavement. AJ thanked the driver and made polite comments about how nice the car was. Aubrey tried to pull herself together, putting her scarf back on and adjusting her coat. What in heaven's name was she doing? She'd been making out like a 15-year-old on the back seat of a car! Admittedly a very lovely car, and a spacious back seat, but still.

The driver got back in the car, and gave them a cheeky grin and a wave as he drove away. AJ turned to her.

"Right. Well, that was a thing," he said.

"Um, yes, sorry, I'm not usually... I just... well... you know, intense situation..."

"Angel, I should apologise, I just... like you... a lot...and..."

Aubrey took his hand. "I do, too," she smiled.

AJ's heart started thumping hard in his chest. "Okay. Wow. Well, would you like to come into the office and I can get you a drink?"

Aubrey shook her head. "I need to go, but I'd like to pick up where we left off, sometime soon?" she looked at him from under her eyelashes and AJ stroked her cheek.

"Yes please, Angel." He pulled at the scarf around her neck, bringing her closer, and gently kissed her lips. Aubrey let herself sink into the kiss briefly before stepping away.

"See you soon," she said with a final touch on his cheek, and headed off down the street, leaving AJ standing gazing after her.

===============================================================

**MARCH**

A couple of weeks later, AJ and Aubrey met up for a walk in St James' Park. It was a grey day and rain was threatening, but they were hoping it would stay away. Aubrey arrived first, wrapped up in a white coat and blue scarf. She found the bench they had agreed to meet at and sat waiting. AJ approached and Aubrey stood up to greet him, so he leaned in to kiss her. They hadn't taken things further since the events of the back seat in the Bentley, though there had been some very flirtatious texts and phone calls.

They began walking around the lake, looking at the ducks and the pelicans. They chatted about work, Terry and the bookshop, and Anna and Newt's continuing romance.

"I think he's really smitten," smiled Aubrey.

"Yeah, Anna's been very quiet about the two of them, which usually means she's very keen on a guy," laughed AJ. "Speaking of which, are we going to talk about what happened? In the car?"

Aubrey stopped walking and stared over the lake. "Um....well, I didn't know if you wanted to, and it was just the situation we were in, and I...."

AJ stopped her by making the universal symbol for "shhhh” by holding up his fingers and closing them together. He picked up her hand and stroked his thumb over her knuckles. "Angel, I very much wanted to carry on. I'm really, really happy being with you and.... I would like to spend more time with you. If that is okay?"

Aubrey looked up at him and could tell how much this meant to him. She leaned in and kissed him, and a surprised AJ kissed her back, but before they could say anything else, it began to rain - very hard. Aubrey pulled out a small white umbrella and placed it over them, but it wasn't much help, so they ran to shelter under a tree. Aubrey had rain dripping down her face so AJ pulled out some tissues from his pocket to give to her. As he did so, a piece of paper landed in front of them. Aubrey bent down to pick it up and noticed in pink writing a phone number and an Instagram address.

"Um... something you need to tell me?" she asked, holding it up.

AJ realised what it was. "Oh, that was from that blonde woman that day we got caught by that film crew," he said.

Aubrey's face flushed. "And why did she give you her number?"

"So we could pass on our info, I guess," he shrugged. "I'd forgotten about it."

"Really? So you didn't think her giving you her number was odd?"

"No! What are you suggesting?" AJ began to feel annoyed.

"So women passing you their number is an everyday thing for you?"

"No! Look, I had forgotten she gave it to me, it was just so we could get back in touch over that filming thing."

"So you wanted to call her?"

"Will you stop thinking the worst of me and just listen..."

"Just now you were telling me you liked me and now I find out you're.... fraternising with other women!" cried Aubrey. 

"Fraternising?" hissed AJ, his eyes narrowing. 

"Whatever you want to call it"

"Angel, please..."

"Stop calling me that! I don't see any point in discussing it further."

"An... Aubrey stop this, you're acting like it's the end of the world."

"I don't need you!" yelled Aubrey

"Well, the feeling is mutual. Obviously," spat AJ, angry that she wouldn't listen to him.

Aubrey threw the paper onto the ground in front of him, and stalked away, leaving AJ in the rain, his soaked red hair dripping down his face, as his heart shattered.

==============================================================

**APRIL**

Aubrey sat at her computer and sighed. She stared out the window and sighed again. Newt turned around and looked at her. Aubrey continued looking out the window, and then sighed a third time.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, will you just call him?" he said.

"What?"

"You know what - call him."

"Who?"

"AJ!"

"No!"

"Aubrey, he's missing you as well. Anna told me," said Newt. Aubrey looked up with a brief flash of hope, which died instantly.

"No," she groaned "I messed up. I was horrible and judgemental and I said stuff I shouldn't have said."

"So apologise."

"It's too late."

"It isn't! My God, you two are hard work. Just. Call. Him."

"It's been 6 weeks - I've left it too long."

"Doesn't matter - he misses you, Anna said he spends the whole time walking around the office shouting at everyone and everything, even the plants."

"Plants?"

"I have no idea, but that's what she said."

Aubrey put her face in her hands. "I can't," she moaned.

Newt rolled his eyes, "Fine, we need to fix the details for tonight's event."

"Okay." Aubrey pulled the details of their booking up on the computer and they ran through their final checks. The event was at a nightclub called Ritzy's - they were having a Retro night which sounded good fun, but Aubrey really wasn't in the mood for a party. She just wanted to go home and stay in bed. She felt so fed up about what had happened with AJ. She had no idea why she had lost her temper over something so stupid, and had no right to do it. It wasn't like they were properly a couple - barely a few months, and a few kisses. But, oh, those kisses... she felt herself flush as she remembered the incident with the "wall slam", the Christmas kiss under the mistletoe, the moment in the Bentley... _Face it_ , she told herself, _you know why you lost your temper, you really like him!_

"Aubrey?" Newt brought her back to reality. He stood in front of her and had his mobile in his hand.

"Yes, sorry, what?"

"Er, what are you wearing tonight?"

"Oh, no idea, just a skirt and blouse."

"Maybe you could wear a nice dress?"

"Since when were you worried about what I wear?" she asked

"Just that, everyone will be dressed up, and it is a party..." mumbled Newt. Aubrey was too distracted to wonder what he was up to. 

"Okay, fine, if it will make you happy."

Newt grinned and returned to his phone call, while Aubrey's thoughts returned to a certain man in black....

********************************************

The party at Ritzy's was in full swing, with everyone on the dance floor. The band was doing a great job. The lead singer was amazing, and she had sung so many songs that Aubrey loved. The food had gone down very well, and it had been another successful evening for Heavenly Hosts.

The lights dimmed as the singer announced their final song. Aubrey smoothed her cream dress over her hips and began thinking about what needed to be done to start clearing up. The gentle strains of "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" came over the music system.

 _"That certain night, the night we met...."_ sang the vocalist. Aubrey remembered the first night she had met AJ, at the Garden of Eden. A tear pricked her eye and she brushed it away.

 _"There was magic abroad in the air..."_ Aubrey was reminded of the terrible magician at the Christmas party, which of course reminded her of how that evening ended in their first kiss.

_"There were angels dining at the Ritz...."_

A voice said behind her, "Well, maybe not dining, but there is an angel at Ritzy's"

"AJ!" she spun round, and tried not to let her face show her real feelings. He stood a few feet away, dressed yet again in black, his red hair around his face, which had the look of a smacked puppy.

"Angel, I'm sorry, I apologise. Whatever I said, I didn't mean it. "

"What?"

"The last 6 weeks have felt like 6,000 years. Work with me - I'm apologising here!"

"Oh," Aubrey was stunned.

"Dance with me?"

"I don't dance."

"All angels dance." AJ held out his hand, and after a moment Aubrey took it and he led her onto the dance floor.

He pressed his hand on her back and draped an arm around her neck. Aubrey placed her hands lightly on his shoulders and tried to ignore her heart beating its way out of her chest, and the desire to simply wrap her arms around him. 

"I'm sorry for what I said," said AJ. "I didn't mean to react that way."

"I'm really sorry, too," said Aubrey, looking him in the eyes for the first time. "I had no right to say what I did." She rested her head on his chest and he pulled her closer, till finally she let her arms slide around him. They stepped gently around in a circle, and Aubrey spotted Newt standing to one side with Anna next to him, both grinning widely. Anna had her arm around Newt's waist. Newt stuck two thumbs up, and Aubrey realised, _this was all a set up!_

She looked back up at AJ. "So where do we go from here?" she asked.

"Maybe we could get out of here? Go off together?"

"Go off together?"

"If you want to - just to talk."

Aubrey smiled at him. "Maybe - but what if I don't even like you?"

"You do," growled AJ, and his lips came down on hers as he tried to prove it.

"Okay, maybe I do," gasped Aubrey, when he finally let her go.

"Angel, I love you. I've totally fallen for you" AJ said. There was a long pause, as they continued to move to the song.

"And....I suppose... I love you too," said Aubrey.

AJ smiled at her. "Meeting you was.... utterly ineffable."

"Ineffable? Really?"

"Really" replied AJ. And he pulled her close and resumed the kisses that would last for eternity....

**Author's Note:**

> THANKS FOR READING!! 
> 
> As I said at the start, this is my first time writing a fanfic. I am blaming @Lurlur and @EdnaV for influencing my decision to write this. We took part in the brilliant Ineffable Con 2 this year and presented the Fanfic panel, and not long after I had this random idea of a story, so THANK YOU to them for encouraging me to actually get it written. I am now in total awe of any writers who commit to regularly doing this. It consumed me, and I got invested *way* more than I expected. A huge, huge thanks also to @AnnaThema for beta-reading; it seriously needed it and I am super grateful. Thank you so much for reading and for any useful advice/ideas/kudos. XX


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